Only One Week Left To Sign Up

August 5, 2002

Time is running out to register to vote in the important Sept. 10 primary election.

Voter registration books close a week from today. To vote in the primary, you must register in person at your local elections office by 5 p.m. Aug. 12, or have your mailed-in registration postmarked by midnight that night. Voter books will, however, remain open through Oct. 7 for the Nov. 5 general election.

Far too many people gripe about politicians, government institutions, the taxes they levy, the money they spend and the laws they adopt. But far too few earn the right to gripe by choosing elected leaders and deciding public referendum issues.

In Broward County, only about 70 percent of people eligible to register bother to do so. Two years ago, only a puny 13.2 percent of those registered managed to vote in the September primary.

For many candidates, Sept. 10 will be a "primary" election in name only. Because only two people are running for several offices, a winner will be chosen that day, so people who wait until Nov. 5 will miss out on the chance to elect several of their leaders.

All Florida Democrats will choose party nominees for governor, attorney general and agriculture commissioner. All Broward voters will get to vote for one School Board member and seven local judges in nonpartisan races. Broward voters in one district will vote for another School Board member. Democrats in some districts will elect one state House member and choose party nominees for two state Senate and two state House seats.

All Florida Republicans will choose a party nominee for attorney general. Republicans in two Broward districts will pick party nominees for state representative. Weston voters will choose a new city commissioner in a nonpartisan race.

Registration is a simple, quick process, open to any American citizen and county resident who will be 18 years old on Sept. 10 with full civil rights.

With a voter registration card, people gain power over politicians and the decisions they make. Without that card, they lose that power.